Jack, if you’re going to use pvc for bed cover ribs, use the grey elect. conduit pvc. I’ve used the white plumbing pvc and it doesn’t last and it will crack. The grey elect pvc lasts (I’ve had mine up for 3 seasons. I used the plumbing pvc first and it lasted less than one,) it bends easier, and it’s cheaper. I put an 18in piece of rebar in each corner and every 4 feet on each side. I then bend the conduit to fit over each piece of rebar and ran another piece straight over the tops – zip tied at each intersection. This creates a mini hoop house that I cover with 6 mil clear plastic during the winter for year round production ( I use 6in. pvc pipe, capped at both ends, painted black, 3/4 filled with water so it doesn’t crack in our Delaware winter and lay these between each row to provide additional heat during the night and cloudy days.) During the summer, I use the same frame to hold row cover to keep out cabbage worms, squash bugs, and squash vine borers (Yes, I have to hand pollinate the squash, but would any way.) During the winter the terrarium effect keeps me from having to water very often, but I do have irrigation in the beds that allows me to introduce both water and compost tea when needed. To me, fall and winter gardening is truly the skill to master. There is nothing like going out to the garden, brushing the snow off off the plastic and harvesting fresh lettuce, broccoli, and spinach.

I use a conduit bender and make two 45 degree angles then a 90, slide it over rebar, EMT is much sturdier, up here anyway

good management. Rmember I told you you will have a great hive, a weak hive and a EH hive. The object is to make them all the same around the B+ range.
Jashon is a good mentor

one need a mentor

I add a ton of greensand, lava sand, Soil Mender’s Planters II Minerals, and Azomite to all my beds in copious quantities. I was was modelling it after John Kohler’s work on you tube, Growing Your Greens. Minerals make all the difference on the taste. I have some other in ground beds that are just compost amended to the native East Texas soil and I do not have half the flavor on the exact same cultivars grown in it. The soil really does make the taste.

Jack –
Regarding your recipe for your raised beds: I ran it by Steve Solomon (he was one of your guests – his new book is The Intelligent Gardener) on his Yahoo Forum called soil and health. I just referred to you as “my friend”. Here is his response:

“I no longer do things that way even though that approach will almost certainly grow plants your friend will consider vegetables, and because he grew them, the novelty, the pleasure, will make him think they are delicious. But how does your friend know he needs heaps of K and some Mg from greensand or phosphorus and why not zinc or copper or manganese or sulfur? Or calcium !!
And by the way, that “soil mix” is not soil, and in a few years all that ‘ll be left of it is the sand. To grow stuff well, sand does not need to hold half compost, although half compost won’t do harm unless it unbalances everything in terms of mineral elements.

Steve”